Join Winnipeg-based Chef Jaya as she take you on a journey to discover the heart of authentic Italian cuisine in 3 regions rich in culture, traditions, food, wine, and lifestyle: Turin, Piedmont and Liguria. Your journey begins with a flavourful week to discover the rich wines of Torino and the beautiful countryside of Piedmont, the velvety chocolate, the rare white truffles, the traditional cured meats, cheeses and the typical hazelnuts.

Chef Jaya

Wine hedonists and authentic food appreciators will fully enjoy Turin – the regional capital, and the Langhe area now UNESCO HERITAGE Site – famous for its wines and truffles. In fact, the local cuisine was shaped by the regional royal history that its inhabitants have preserved over the centuries thanks to their good taste and pairing skills. Besides admiring the Turin city center and the Porta Palazzo Market freshness, we’ll visit: organic farms, artisanal productions, vineyards and we’ll even go on a simulated truffle hunt!

After spending a few nights in Turin City you will venture to the countryside for a farmstay in Piedmont. You’ll be amazing at the beauty of this region filled with vineyards, quaint farms, and rolling hills.

The third part of your journey takes you to Liguria. This seaside regionpromotes the great heritage of history, art, culture, environment and traditions found in small Italian towns off the beaten paths of this picturesque coastal region. For 5 days we’ll enjoy this unique corner of Liguria, visiting a local wine maker, an olive Oil-farm and savouring meals where the locals like to gather, and walking inland to explore some of the most beautiful villages of Italy. Signature flavours on “Liguria, Undiscovered Villages” include pesto, focaccia and seafood pasta for which the region is famous as well as local white grapes such as Pigato, Bianchetta Genovese and local reds Ormeasco and Rossese.

These unique experiences will be studded with cooking classes, tasting sessions and full menus of local specialties and wines.

This experience is for all the food lovers, the culture lovers, and all those seeking a more authentic way to become immersed into the Italian lifestyle.

About your Tour Leader – Chef Jaya

Chef Jaya was exposed to traveling at a young age, having traveled between 3-4 different countries on a yearly basis. She was born in the Miami heat of Florida, however she spent her life living in Barbados, Trinidad, Minnesota, & Manitoba.

Her origins are few, but influences are of the many… watching her grandmothers interpret “Indian” cuisine, factoring in the differences of Guyanese vs India vs West Indies. No matter what country she was in or was influenced by, in that moment, food meant family & togetherness.

Growing up seeing the splendor of having Chefs cater in her home for grand events, her Mother would create… she began to grasp the concept of how food could mean elegance just as much as it meant family. Fast forward through the years of trying to be her own version of Martha Stewart, Culinary school became the only option.

Starting late at the age of 21 in the Industry was a challenge, years behind those who had grown up in Industry. She reveled in the notion that school was giving her the basics she needed but not the experience, she left with the intention of taking her education into her own hands.

The years culminated of carrying 3 restaurant jobs constantly ranging from Pastry/Breads – Culinary Chef. Studying both the art of service from the perspective of the Chef and Server, it eventually led to her taking a position within a local Manitoba company and studying for her Sommelier Certifications.

A well rounded Chef who wants to know more than just the Food, but the History & Culture around it just as much!

Explore the beautiful quaint coastal villages, the amazing seaside cliffs, and the beaches of Liguria

Hands on cookings classes in each region with local chefs

Scenic boat tour along the coast from Camogli to San Fruttuoso Abbey and Portofino

Witness traditional tuna fishing in Camogli, a testimony of culture and marine tradition

Visits to a sustainable bee farm and olive oil farm

Experience the Langhe-Roero Unesco Heritage wine county - visit wineries and beautiful landscapes of the region

Learn and experience the wine culture in Piedmont by harvesting and partaking in traditional activities on the estate

Test your luck in the woods and experience the art of truffle hunting with a dog and a "trifulau"

Horseback riding through the countryside of Piedmont

Site-seeing tour in the historic city of Turin

Visit chocolate shops and gourmet foods unique to this region

Hands on cooking class at the oldest cooking school in Turin

Thursday September 21

Group arrives at Turin International Caselle Airport: Turin Education Council (TEC) tour leader will meet the group and transfer by private bus to Turin, Piedmont where will start the first part of our Culinary Tour.

Dinner at EATALY - At your own expense to get a chance to taste authentic Italian cuisine.

Saturday September 23

Sightseeing, Turin “on foot” day!

Porta Palazzo Market or the Turin’s Kitchen: visit to the largest open-air market in Europe; food-tasting, ( cheese, salami, prosciutto, freshly baked bread, focaccia, and much more…) and learning about the traditional local products where the locals do their grocery shopping.

Afternoon: A unique experience of Truffles hunting with a real dog and a “trifulau”, approx 3hrs,

After an introduction to truffles, you’ll start your walk in the woods with the trifulau urging his dog to search. The most thrilling moment is when the dog starts digging and the trifulau rushes to him and extracts the truffle using his weed.

Dinner at own expense at local recommended place.

Wednesday September 27

Morning: Horse-back riding in the beautiful countryside or a guided walk

Afternoon: hands-on cooking class followed by dinner.

Thursday September 28

9:00am check-out and ready to continue our Culinary Adventure on to Liguria.

Transfer by private bus to Camogli , approx 2hrs driving

Check-in

Lunch at one of the oldest bakery, great look-out point, savoring the best focaccia and other specialties.

Afternoon: low impact walks along this part of the Ligurian coast with its striking landscape of cliffs, beaches and quaint small villages.

The Portofino Peninsula and its towns of Camogli, Rapallo, Santa Margherita, and Portofino are well known for very good reason. They are beautiful, accessible, offer good hikes and walks and great authentic food!

Welcome Dinner at the B&B.

Friday September 29

Morning: Visit the Tonnarella of Camogli - Tuna-fishing nets are one of the symbols of fishery in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite this, in the last century, they began to close one by one, victims of modern techniques of deep sea fishing and the infrequency of catches that does not provide certainty of income.
Nowadays in Italy there are only three Tonnaras still working: one in Sicily, two in Sardinia, and one in Liguria, in Camogli.
Better known as Tonnarella, it is located in the sea of Marine Protected Area of Portofino. This fact could appear as a contradiction, but it is not so, because the activity, testimony of culture and marine tradition, is carefully managed and represents a selective and sustainable fishing system. Sustainability bases particularly on the use of a vegetable fiber network fully biodegradable and on the size of the mesh.